During the years 1431-1449 a Church Council was held in Basel. This was one of the most important international events in the city’s history. Basel’s cultural and musical life must have benefited from ceremonies and entertainment that took place in a public and private context during this coming-together of Europe’s sacred and secular powers.

It is surmised that the influx of musicians and musically-literate intellectuals from various parts of Europe resulted not only in performance but also in exchange of the “international” polyphonic repertoire in written form. In other words, the city may well have resounded with “celestial concords” (armoniae celestes) and “sweetest songs” (carmina suavissima) – to quote Martin le Franc – by Du Fay, Binchois and Dunstaple, but also by Johannes Brassart, Nicolas Merques (both of whom sung in the Council’s chapel) and other contemporary composers, whose music can be found in manuscripts that have a “Basel” aspect about them.